Guiding Dreams
by Lady Aura
Summary: An old friend of Daniel’s contacts him about a newly discovered Mayan pyramid – smack in the middle of Incan territory. Daniel decides to check it out. Slash, crossover with The Sentinel.
1. Chapter 1

Preface – Takes place sometime between Fallen and Heroes. As they say, "I like my SGC with Jack on SG1, Hammond in command and Janet in the infirmary." Not to mention I wanted Jacob alive. Sentinel-wise, takes place post TSbBS.

This story is aimed at SG1 fans, not Sentinel fans. You don't need to have seen The Sentinel to enjoy the story – but you'll be pretty lost if you know nothing about Stargate.

sigh I realize I'm probably making a mistake uploading this now. I have such a bad habit of writing furiously, then deciding to post and forgetting about it soon after I do. So I apologize if this never gets past the first few chapters.

Warnings – Slash. If you don't like it, leave. If you don't know what it is, leave _now_. Rated M for language, sexual situations and "alternate lifestyles".

Disclaimer – I don't own anything. It all belongs to someone else. I'm just borrowing for a while. Suing me will get you nothing, and flames will only be used to roast marshmallows. In addition – this fic is lore-intensive, and while I did do my research it's probable that some of my mythology is wrong or has been twisted to fit the story. Apologies in advance for mythological mistakes or bits out of canon.

* * *

"See you in two weeks, Sam," Daniel Jackson said as he locked up his office. Major Samantha Carter smiled at him as she passed, Sgt. Siler at her side and a toolbox in her hand. Daniel knew she'd be spending the next few days working on her precious bike, with Siler's expert help.

SG-1 had had a bad week, and they had more than earned the two weeks of downtime they'd been looking forward to for months. Sam was going to spend the time working on her various projects, including her motorcycle – and Siler. Daniel snickered. The poor sergeant had no idea what he was in for. Teal'c, their alien team member, had already headed offworld to visit his family. Daniel's CO, Colonel Jack O'Neill, had invited him up to his cabin to fish, which Daniel had respectfully declined, saying only that he had plans with an old friend. Jack had looked at him suspiciously, asking if it was an old _girlfriend_, to which Daniel had only widened his eyes innocently and told him no, he wasn't meeting an old girlfriend. Which was the truth.

Daniel slung his laptop case over his shoulder. Relaxed in soft, worn jeans, a navy t-shirt with a blue and white plaid overshirt, with his gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, he knew he looked just like the nerdy academic he had gradually shed over the past few years. The only shred of his everyday pseudo-military persona left were his military-issue combat boots, which he was taking home for a very good reason. He swiped his keycard at the elevator, shoving down the excitement that threatened to spill from him.

The SGC had been more of a home to him over the past few years than his actual flat. Caught up in his work, all the wonderful – and terrible – things he had seen, and the dynamics of the base and his team, he had almost forgotten that he had friends, very good friends, outside the mountain. That is, up until about a month ago, when one of his old students from back when he was a TA had emailed him. Daniel had been very excited, almost _too_ excited, to hear from Blair Sandburg. He had gotten the whole story. How Blair's mother had published a fictional dissertation he had written for amusement, how he had had to go on national TV and proclaim himself a fraud, how he had been barred from getting his doctorate and how he was now considering the police academy. Having been in a similar state, Daniel could sympathize. He couldn't imagine Blair in the police academy, though – the younger man had grown up with a hippy mother and was pretty much a pacifist.

Still, Blair had spent the last few years as a "consultant" to the Cascade Police's Major Crimes unit while he worked on his real dissertation, an anthropological study of the closed community of law enforcement. Or something like that. The whole thing seemed off to Daniel, who had been there when Blair had first become interested in the legend of the Sentinel. Which, coincidentally, had been the subject of his "pretend" dissertation.

Daniel knew, from experience, not to take Blair's word on this as gospel. It wasn't that he didn't trust Blair – he did, with his life – but he knew better than anyone that some secrets had to be kept, even if it meant your peers thought you were a loony. Case in point – his own theories.

Through the emails and phone calls that had flown back and forth over the past few weeks, Daniel had detected a slightly desperate tone in Blair. Something was bothering his friend, something big. When Blair had suggested that they check out a new archeological find in Peru, Daniel had been surprised and intrigued. It seemed that the majority of the archeological world didn't know about the find, mostly because the ones who had found it were natives of a tribe called the Chopec. Daniel hadn't asked how Blair had heard about it, but he was glad that he hadn't told anyone else when Blair revealed that it was a Mayan pyramid – smack in the middle of Incan territory. Daniel could think of a couple reasons for this, none of which would be accepted by the general archeological community. Which, of course, is why Blair had told him. When it came to out-of-place pyramids, Daniel was an expert.

Daniel reached the ground floor and nodded to the airman at the gate, who gave him a smile and a "Have a good vacation, Dr. Jackson." Daniel shook his head slightly. Even now, it was sometimes a shock to realize he was respected in the mountain. He was the pet archeologist, and the military types in the mountain were proud to have him. It made a change from academia.

Daniel got in his car, tossing his laptop case on the passenger seat. He took a deep breath, preparing to leave the mountain for the longest stretch of time since he had Ascended. It was weird, but more than worth it. He had one more thing to look forward to over this break – the possibly rekindling of the relationship he had shared with Blair shortly after Blair had passed his Anthropology 231 class. Blair always understood him in a way in which no one else, not even Sam, had ever come close. His mind was as convoluted and slippery as Daniel's own, and the two of them often found themselves knowing what the other was thinking. They had been involved romantically for almost two years before the massive amounts of schoolwork necessary as Blair was finishing his masters and Daniel started his second doctoral dissertation had split them apart.

_It's time_, Daniel figured as he pulled out of the parking lot. _It's been years since Sha're died. No one will ever replace her in my heart, and I know that now. _He grinned. _Besides, I haven't had anything that resembled _consensual_ sex with anyone but Jack for what, five years? Hathor sure as hell doesn't count._

He shuddered. That had been one of the worst experiences of his life, and was the main reason he had gotten special permission to carry a zat gun on this trip. Hathor herself had been dug up from a pre-Colombian pyramid, and if he was gonna run into another crazy Goa'uld queen, he wanted to be ready. As unlikely as that was.

But he wasn't thinking about that right now. He was thinking about the plane he would be boarding in less than an hour, bound for Peru.

* * *

One very long plane ride later (made much more comfortable by an Air Force jet – he had called in a favor with Major Davis) Daniel was strolling through the Lima airport. He hadn't told Blair that he would be arriving by private jet, for the simple reason that he didn't want his young friend asking questions. With only a single rolling suitcase and his precious laptop case, he seemed like any other poor shmuck who was passing through.

A poor shmuck with a Beretta under his shirt at the small of his back and a zat gun in his suitcase. Daniel had learned long ago that just because he was on Earth didn't mean he was safe.

'Course, he wasn't planning on getting captured by Honduran rebels this time.

"Daniel?"

Daniel turned and found himself looking down at a pair of stormy blue eyes he hadn't seen in years.

"Blair." he said softly, hurriedly setting his suitcase upright. He freed his hands just in time to catch the young man as he threw himself into his arms. Daniel leaned his cheek on Blair's dark auburn curls, tightening his hold. Blair was holding onto him for dear life, and Daniel thought to himself that someone had hurt him – and he was going to hurt _them_. Then the bout of protectiveness subsided and he pulled away slightly, cupping the man's cheek in one hand and studying his face.

Blair's shoulder-length, wildly curly hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, somewhat mussed from sleeping on the plane. He looked up at Daniel soulfully from his position nearly five inches below him, blue-grey eyes peeking out from between wire-frame glasses and dark, expressive eyebrows. His skin was darker than Daniel remembered, a deep olive that had obviously seen some sun recently. His full lips were parted slightly, absently, as he studied Daniel intensely in return. Daniel swiped his thumb gently across Blair's cheek and let his hand drop, breaking out into a wide grin.

"You look fantastic." he said, and was rewarded by a smile like the sun rising on Blair's previously pouty lips. Looking much more like the enthusiastic student Daniel loved, Blair gave him another big hug and pulled away, grabbing his own duffel bag from where he had dropped it before.

"You're not so bad yourself, man." he laughed, his voice light. "C'mon, I've got a room waiting for us at a nearby motel. It's not much but it'll serve the purpose."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. _ A room. As in, one single room._ He smiled to himself. '_The purpose'?_

_

* * *

_

Blair sighed contentedly, not able to remember the last time he'd felt so relaxed. He was hundreds of miles away from everything that had been causing him stress for the past few months, safe in the relative anonymity of the small but comfy hotel room, with a man who he both loved and trusted, whom he considered closer than a brother. Best of all, he was far away from the damning influence of the man who'd been haunting his dreams – his partner, Detective Jim Ellison.

Jim wouldn't have known Blair was gone until just a few hours ago, when he came home from work. He would have gone on high alert when he realized Blair wasn't home, when his extraordinary senses of hearing and smell had alerted him to his roommate's absence. He would have visually swept the area for signs of struggle, finding Blair's note in the process. More than likely, he would be suspicious of the note, knowing it was not like Blair to just leave without prior notice. No doubt he would pay no attention to the note's reassurances that Blair was fine and would be back in a few weeks. Certainly he would have called the station, whereupon their superior, Captain Simon Banks, would have told him that yes, Blair had requested two weeks off, yes, he had asked that Jim not be told, and no, he had no idea where the anthropologist was planning on going. Blair sighed inwardly, imagining the tirade the big, hot-tempered man would have gone on, and was glad that he didn't have to be there to experience his Sentinel's wrath. Jim would have two weeks to calm down and think about why Blair might have done this. Meanwhile, Blair had two weeks to immerse himself in everything he had been missing out on – the thrill of discovery, his anthropological and archeological studies, and Daniel.

Blair chuckled to himself, wondering what sort of rampage Jim would embark upon if he could see his Guide now. Barefoot, in soft hunter flannel pajama pants and an open pj shirt, nestled in the arms of another man, dressed in a similar fashion but in dark blue silk. Daniel had propped himself up on pillows against the headboard, and Blair was cuddled comfortably between his legs, resting his head on Daniel's shoulder, the two of them excitedly going over the information Blair had collected on the dig site. He shared everything he knew about the misplaced pyramid. As he began to run out of information, his attention began to wander – as did his hands.

Reaching up to gently run his hands over Daniel's smooth chest, Blair explored the firm muscles and unfamiliar scars, large and small. Daniel stopped talking as his mind found its way back through the fog of academia to reality.

"Getting sidetracked, Blair?" Daniel asked, amusement in his voice. Blair judiciously decided to ignore the comment.

"Been working out, Danny?" he asked softly. He traced his finger over a long, shallow scar that ran from shoulder to collarbone, leaving his other questions unasked. He _knew_ that scar hadn't been there before.

"Yeah. You know. Working for the military."

His excuse was weak and they both knew it. Daniel was a civilian consultant at an Air Force base in Colorado, and he should have no reason to work out – or get injured as often or as badly as his scars indicated. But Daniel had informed him long ago that his work was completely confidential, and he was prone to long absences; one of the more recent of which had rendered him unreachable for almost a year. Blair had his theories about what Daniel really did, the most likely of which was that he was an international spy. It was work that would capitalize on both his ability to conform to a culture and his knowledge of over 20 languages, and it would explain both his long, sporadic absences and his current physical condition. Still, he knew better than to ask, or to even make any comments that might lead Daniel to believe he had suspicions. It was an unspoken rule between them. Just as neither of them discussed their respective crazy theories, they did not discuss their work.

Still, something about Daniel's broad physique and marred skin compelled Blair. He leaned down and kissed the scar, carefully. Daniel drew in a sharp breath. Blair immediately pulled back, worried he had hurt his friend. Daniel smiled down at him and placed a hand under his chin, drawing Blair's lips forward to meet his own. The kiss was slow and relaxed, but chaste, Daniel broke away without ever opening his mouth. Blair felt himself pout a little, against his will. Daniel smiled.

"Easy, babe. We've got time."

Blair nodded, understanding. They'd both had a hard couple of years, and they hadn't seen each other for a long time. If they were going to rekindle the passion they'd held almost a decade ago, they would need time to get to know each other all over again. And, thanks to some understanding superiors and some plain old good luck, they had that time.

Blair nuzzled into Daniel's neck, content for the moment to be happy and safe.


	2. Chapter 2

Jim Ellison, as Blair had predicted, was _royally_ pissed off. He stalked about their loft like an offended cat, muttering direly to himself about what he was going to do when he got his hands on his troublesome roommate.

He wouldn't admit to himself that Blair's absence stung. That Blair had felt it necessary to sneak out behind his back was bringing up questions for which he didn't have answers. Plus, the loft felt strangely empty.

Jim found himself in Blair's room, with the vague notion that he would try to find any clues. What was he even looking for? A letter, or a journal entry, or anything that might give a hint to where he was, why he had left, was he in danger...

_This is ridiculous_, Jim thought, forcing himself to sit still on the bed and _think_. _Blair's _not_ in danger. He said so himself, in his note. Simon said he'd requested this leave almost a month ago, so it's not as if someone is blackmailing him. Or using him as bait._ Needing something to keep his hands occupied, Jim grabbed one of Blair's pillows and hugged it to himself, resting his chin on it and kneading it with his fingers. He breathed in Blair's scent, relaxing slightly.

_So why did he leave? Where would he go? A friend's, his mother's? _Jim blew out a frustrated breath, letting himself fall back on the bed, pillow still clutched in his arms. _Did he need to get away from the city? From work? From his upcoming academy training?_

He couldn't bring himself to think that maybe Blair had needed to get away from _him_.

* * *

_He was running through the forest, reveling in the power his jaguar form granted him, breeze in his fur and the scent of his prey in his nostrils. As the smell became stronger, the jaguar slowed, stalking through the underbrush. He crouched, slowly padding forward to peer between the bushes._

_Resting in a small clearing were a pair of wolves, one grey and one black. They were twined around each other, sleeping nestled together for warmth, each resting their head on the other's hip like a canine yin-yang. On the other side of the clearing, perched in a tree, a large hawk regarded him with piercing brown eyes. He flattened his ears in warning, moving one huge paw to step into the clearing._

_At once both wolves awoke. The grey lifted his head off his companion's rump to stare into the jaguar's eyes. At the same time, the black looked up at the hawk. Time seemed to stop._

Four men came awake at once.

* * *

Jim opened his eyes and gasped, taking in his surroundings. He'd fallen asleep on Blair's bed, still clutching his pillow.

_I've been sleeping surrounded by his scent_, he thought. _No wonder I'm dreaming about him._

Jim had had dreams about the jaguar and the wolf before, and he knew from experience that his mind sometimes represented Blair as a grey wolf. But other than one other occasion, no other animals had ever been involved in his spirit guide dreams. The presence of the black wolf and the hawk bothered them. Did they represent real people, or possibly just ideas? Why was Blair's wolf, the grey, snuggled so close to the black? Jim couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed by that. And the hawk...the hawk, just sitting there in the tree, watching them...And then the other wolf had looked at it, just as Blair was looking at him. He couldn't imagine what it meant, but he had yet to have one of these dreams that didn't mean _something_. Something was up.

Jim made his way slowly into his room, his mind going a mile a minute, and laid awake in his bed for quite a while, worrying.

* * *

Jack splashed cold water on his face, trying to shake off the funny feeling the dream had left when he awoke. He'd seen – _been_ – that hawk before, in his dreams. Those beautiful dreams of flying had been a major catalyst in his decision to join the Air Force, after all. He'd seen the black wolf just once before...the night Daniel died of radiation poisoning. The wolf had been running in the forest below, and he, as a hawk, had been trying (and failing) to catch up. Jack had suspected at the time that Daniel had had something to do with that dream.

It was no longer a suspicion; when the wolf had looked up at him its eyes were blue. That same electric blue that he saw every day.

_Christ, Danny, you haven't been away for more than twelve hours yet and I'm already dreaming about you._

The presence of the other two animals – the grey wolf and the jaguar – bothered him. The way the two wolves were twined around each other had tugged at his heart, and he'd felt compelled to protect them. Both of them. And the jaguar, well...what was a honkin' big cat like that doing in a pine forest, anyway? That was _his_ territory, his and the wolves'. No cats allowed. Jack had never liked cats much anyway.

He looked at himself in the mirror. His skin was pale, his eyes hooded, his hair sticking up all over. He was a mess. He needed to go back to bed.

But something told him he wouldn't be going fishing this vacation. No, he'd stick around the mountain...just in case.

* * *

Daniel and Blair came awake at the exact same time, opening shocked eyes wide to peer into the blue depths of the other's. They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Bad dream?" Blair whispered. Daniel gave him a half-smile.

"Not so bad. Weird."

Blair nodded. "Want to talk about it?"

Daniel sighed. "In the morning. Just..." He stopped, wordlessly reaching out. Blair immediately cuddled close, wiggling into Daniel's embrace and sleepily nosing the side of his neck, for all the world like an affectionate dog. Daniel chuckled and stroked Blair's hair, and before they had even fully awakened they were asleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

Blair tossed his duffel in the back of the jeep, next to Daniel's suitcase and their travel packs, as Daniel haggled in Spanish with their jungle guide. He idly considered the point that they wouldn't need a guide if Jim had come with them, and felt a little pang somewhere in his stomach that he quickly squashed. He distracted himself by listening in on Daniel's conversation. The guide was telling him that there were no roads to the area they wanted to visit, and nothing to look at when they got there. Daniel asked how close the guide could get them, and the answer seemed to be satisfactory, because Daniel shelled out a rather ludicrous amount of money. The guide nodded as the money disappeared, agreeing to take them as far as he could.

"You paid him way too much, man." Blair said with amusement as they climbed into the Jeep. Daniel shrugged.

"We don't know what we're getting into here," he said in Russian. Blair raised an eyebrow. "It eases my mind."

"What are you worried about? If the ruins are there, they haven't been touched in centuries." Blair answered in the same language. Daniel shrugged as they started off.

* * *

After an hour's drive and another hour of hacking through the underbrush, the guide stopped, pulling out his canteen and taking a deep draught as Daniel and Blair came level with him.

"Señors, there is nothing here. I'm going to go back to my Jeep."

Daniel and Blair looked at each other, considering.

"I'd like to look around a bit more..." Blair said quietly. "We came all this way."

Daniel nodded.

"We'll give you a call." he said to the guide. The guide looked concerned.

"You will be ok out here alone?"

Daniel nodded. "We'll be fine."

The guide shrugged. "Alright, Señor. Good luck." He turned, following the trail they'd hacked through the undergrowth.

When he was out of sight, Daniel turned to Blair.

"Whatcha thinking, B?"

Blair smiled slightly at the old nickname. "I'm thinking we've got to be close." He closed his eyes and deliberately slowed his breathing, opening his mind and his senses to any sort of inspiration.

Daniel's mouth quirked at his friend's tactic, and he let his own eyes drift closed. While he listened, he sent out a mental hail to those he knew were listening.

_A little sign here would be much appreciated..._

They stayed like that, still, for several minutes. Daniel gave up and opened his eyes, about to bring Blair out of his meditation. But Blair's eyes popped open of their own accord just as Daniel heard a twig snap to their left. Both heads turned toward the noise, and Daniel's hand went to the small of his back, automatically feeling for his gun. He spotted a flash of something – or rather, a pair of somethings – in the underbrush a ways ahead. He and Blair looked at each other, then started carefully towards the spot without a word.

They had not gone fifty yards when Daniel caught another flash, this time much larger, out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, it was gone, but he stopped and stared, thinking. Blair realized he had stopped and turned to look at him.

"D?"

Daniel took a step backwards, to the exact spot he'd been in when he'd seen it. His eyes went wide.

"Blair, come look."

Blair picked his way over, and Daniel took him by the shoulders and steered him exactly in front of himself. Blair gasped as an enormous stepped Mayan pyramid shimmered into view in the distance.

"How...?" Blair asked. Daniel took a step to the right. Sure enough, the pyramid disappeared. When he stepped back into place, it reappeared.

"You can only see it from this exact spot," Daniel said in wonder. Blair's eyes widened, and he tried it for himself.

"Whoa." His eyes were wide, his jaw slack with amazement. He turned to look at Daniel, who was digging in his pack.

"Danny?" he asked.

Daniel came up with a small black device. He flicked a switch and started burying the device at their feet.

"GPS emitter." he said by way of explanation. "In case you or I or anyone else has to find this spot again."

"Cool. Where'd you get one of those?" Blair asked.

"Working for the government has its advantages." Daniel said as he finished and straightened. "Like getting to play with cool toys."

Blair grinned at him as they set off towards the pyramid.

* * *

They broke through the underbrush and into a flat clearing in a matter of minutes. They could move from side to side now without losing sight of the ruin. It was massive, nearly as high as the Giza pyramids, and the area around it for a good thirty feet was paved with remarkably well-preserved stonework.

Setting their packs down on the stone pavement, they gazed up at the structure. A stripe of red marred the plain of the side facing them, from the very top straight down the center to the pavement. Blair set his hand on the red-stained stone.

"Blood. They performed blood sacrifices here." he murmured to himself. He followed the red streak up the side of the pyramid with his eyes, and squinted at the top of the pyramid. "Daniel, there are carvings up there."

"There are carvings down here, too." Daniel called back. Blair looked where he was looking.

"That's Quechua." Blair said. "Looks like it runs all the way around the base."

"Can you read it? Pre-Columbian languages are not my strong suit." Daniel said. Blair nodded.

"If I have some serious time with it, yeh. It's a pretty old form. Come on, D, I wanna check out the top."

Together they carefully climbed the steps, testing each level before putting their weight on it. They reached the top in about ten minutes.

"Oh, my God." Blair said, taking the last few steps at a run. "Daniel. Oh my God, Danny, you've got to see this!"

Feeling his stomach sink, Daniel joined Blair at the top of the pyramid and ran his hand over the familiar carving.

"The Eye of Ra." he whispered, stunned. Blair was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Danny, do you realize what this means? You were right! This absolutely proves your theories!"

"No, it doesn't." Daniel said absently, concentrating on the area around the carving. The top of the pyramid was split many ways by lines – rays, really – that centered at the Eye. On the right and left sides of the Eye were two lines of hieroglyphs, which Daniel immediately began copying into his journal.

"What do you mean, 'no it doesn't'? There are _Egyptian hieroglyphs_ on a _Mayan pyramid_ in the middle of _Incan territory_! If that doesn't prove cultural cross-pollination I don't know what would. Daniel, you could use this to get your credibility back. The bigwigs of Academia can't possibly ignore this."

"They're not going to see it." Daniel told him as he finished copying the carving into his notebook.

"How can you even _say_ that?" Blair said, aghast. Daniel ignored him, turning his attention to the carvings that lined the edge of the platform. Blair looked over his shoulder.

"...What language is that?"

"Not one you know." Daniel said quietly. Blair glared at him.

"I suppose you know it?" he asked snidely. The tone of his voice made Daniel look up. He studied his younger friend's face, and his own countenance softened slightly.

"Yes, actually. I've come across it in my work." He turned back to the carvings, copying them meticulously into his journal. Blair was silent, watching him, for a moment.

_This is all about his work,_ he realized. _The government has something to do with this._

He turned and started back down the steps.

"I'm going to work on the writing at the bottom. Come down before the sun starts to set, okay? Trying to climb this in the dark would be suicide."

Daniel looked up at him, and Blair gave him a small smile. He didn't know what Danny was up to, but he was willing to go along – for now – without asking too many questions.

Daniel gave him a big smile back, expressing his relief without words. Blair nodded and disappeared over the edge.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to Nightshae for being the only one to review – you give me hope. -_wink_-

This is where things are gonna get a bit squickier on the slash front – you've been warned. In addition, things might be slightly out of canon in this chapter, especially in Blair's case. Again - warned.

Enjoy. And review!

* * *

Sunset came quickly, as they had spent the better part of the day getting to the site. They set up camp in the shadow of the pyramid, on the stone pavement that surrounded the structure. Blair stretched a tarp over the area and sprinkled a powdered bug repellent around the edges as Daniel pitched the tent and built a fire, protected by a makeshift fireplace created from loose stones.

After a simple dinner, Daniel and Blair set about their translations.

"The carvings on the bottom are a prayer." Blair said. "Well, a pair of prayers, really. The first is asking for blessing – bless us, our children and our fathers, our crops and animals and our land blah blah blah. The second one is all about 'protect us'. Protect us from flood, from fire, from famine and war, etcetera." He frowned, scribbling in his notebook. "I think they're directed at Ixchel and Ixtab."

Daniel cocked his head. "The Mayan goddesses of fertility and suicide? Odd combination."

"No kidding. Quechua is a derivative of ancient Incan – why are these Mayan goddesses?"

"Good question." Daniel's tone was noncommittal. Blair threw him a look.

"What have you got?"

"Well..." Daniel said slowly. "The hieroglyphs at the top are pretty simple. One line says 'For the love of Queen Hathor.' The other says 'For the glory of Queen Nephthys.'"

"The Egyptian goddesses of fertility and death," Blair breathed. "Danny, they've got to be related. This is incredible." He bit his lip as soon as he said it. Daniel didn't look excited at all – in fact, he looked worried.

"The other language?" he asked gently, not wanting to upset his friend. Daniel frowned in the general direction of his notebook.

"It looks like a big ol' compass. There's 32 symbols spaced evenly around the Eye, and I recognize four of them as north, south, east and west. My guess is the rest translate to north-northwest and the like."

Blair chewed on his pen thoughtfully. "Why would anyone put compass directions on top of a pyramid? Astronomical aides?"

"Maybe."

There was silence for a while.

After a few minutes, Daniel shut his notebook with a snap. He stood up and came over to Blair, sitting beside him and resting his arms on the younger man's shoulders. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, B. I've been a dick today," he said dolefully. Blair smiled and turned his body towards Daniel's, snuggling closer.

"It's alright, Danny. I think I sort of understand where you're coming from. Some of this is classified, isn't it?"

Daniel sighed again, relieved, and nodded. "Blair, this is a really big discovery – bigger than you know. I'm really, really glad you told me about this. But it causes some problems for me."

Blair looked at him, concerned. "How so?"

Daniel snuggled himself even closer. "Blair, I have to call my bosses. They _have_ to know about this."

Blair sat up straighter, looking down at Daniel, who rested his head on Blair's shoulder and didn't meet his eyes. "Why?" Daniel didn't answer. _Classified_, Blair thought. _Son of a bitch._ "Daniel, this is _our_ site."

"I know." Daniel turned his face up to look into Blair's. "Believe me, I would _much_ rather it was just the two of us. The last thing I want is to have a bunch of military types running around. But I don't have any choice."

"Why?" Blair practically wailed.

"B, _I can't tell you_."

Blair huffed and fell silent, but not for long. "Can I at least stay on-site? Help you out? Danny, you don't speak Quechua."

Daniel pursed his lips, thinking.

"It would take some serious maneuvering. I could try it...you'd have to get some high-level security clearance, sign a non-disclosure form...maybe if I pulled a few strings...and pouted a lot," he mumbled. He was cut off by Blair's furious hugging.

"Thank you so much, Danny."

"Blair, don't thank me. If I do manage to get you clearance, you're probably going to wish I hadn't."

"Don't feed me that 'ignorance is bliss' crap, Dannyboy. I've been working as a cop for the past three years." Blair snorted. "I've probably been in more scrapes in the past few years than you have your entire life. I can handle it." Danny pulled back to look him in the eye.

"You asked about my scars, Blair?"

He let the implication hang as Blair searched his face, laughter gone.

"Blair," Daniel said as an idea occurred to him. "Do you really want to become a police officer?"

Blair cocked his head, considering how to answer the non-sequitor . "Not for police work itself, I guess. I have a life with Major Crimes – people who like and respect me, a partner I trust. Since a career in anthropology is out, I guess it was really my only option."

"What if I could get you another job?"

Blair stared at him in shock. "You mean...work with you? For the _military_?"

Daniel grimaced to himself. He'd forgotten about Blair's decidedly anti-establishment upbringing. He tried a different tack. Now that he had the idea in his head, he wasn't about to let it go very easily.

"Blair, what I do...It's an anthropologists dream. I swear," he added at Blair's skeptical look, "there have been so many times when I would think, 'I wish B were here to help me figure this out' or 'B would _love_ this'."

Blair looked like he was genuinely considering it, and Daniel looked at him hopefully. Blair met his eyes, but then shook his head.

"I can't leave Jim," he said softly. "He needs me."

Daniel's lips twitched. "Because you're his Guide."

Blair nodded, and Daniel let his smirk show. _Caught_.

Blair must have realized it immediately, because he looked up with horror all over his face. Daniel gentled his smirk into a small, reassuring smile.

"Blair, it's alright. I'm not going to tell the world."

"D, it only takes one! If you could figure it out so easily, who's to say no one else will? Damn it, I gave up my career to protect him! I can't fuck it up now."

"That's the real reason you're joining the Force, isn't it?" Daniel asked gently. Blair nodded unhappily.

"Jim really does need me. I've been his unofficial partner for years, and after the press conference, it seemed like the only thing to do."

"He's lucky to have you." Daniel said with certainty. Blair snorted.

"Heh, ya right. Sometimes I wonder if he would have been better off if I had never stumbled into his life."

"Blair, don't say that," Daniel said quickly. "You're his Guide. Like you said, he needs you."

"Yeah, you're right. He needs me, whether he _wants_ me or not."

Something in the way he said it made Daniel look closer.

"Blair...he appreciates what you do for him, doesn't he?"

Blair's silence gave Daniel the answer he needed. "That sonofabitch," Daniel breathed. "What did he do?"

Blair shook his head, his curly hair flying wildly about his face. "He didn't _do_ anything. It's what he hasn't been doing..." He stopped.

Daniel frowned, reaching up to rub Blair's back reassuringly. "Tell me."

Blair bit his lip, as if trying to hold the words back. That didn't last long – he stared into Daniel's crystal blue eyes and the dam broke. He found himself pouring out the emotion he'd kept repressed for months.

"Danny, I _died_. Jim brought me back. He used our spirit guides – the wolf and the jaguar – and he brought me back from the dead. That's how close we used to be. But he shattered that right after. He – he – oh, Danny, I found him making out with the woman who'd killed me." Daniel sucked in a shocked breath. Blair continued as if he couldn't stop. "I realized, later, that it had been a Sentinel thing, that he hadn't really been in control, but it _hurt_ so much, and I didn't realize until right then that I loved him, and I could never, ever _be_ with him. Then he had the nerve to say that _I'd _betrayed _him_ even though I had no idea she was going to turn out to be psycho – she was just another Sentinel who needed Guiding and Danny she _killed_ me and he _kissed_ her!"

Blair stopped to take a few breaths and Daniel numbly realized that somehow Blair had migrated into his arms. Blair was close to tears, and Daniel was stroking his hair and rocking, silent, waiting for Blair to start again. He didn't have to wait long.

"I thought we'd gotten all of that behind us, but nothing was really right after that. Then Naomi sent my diss to the publishers and Jim accused me of betraying him. Made it seem like I cared more about money and fame than him. That's why I had to do the press conference, I had to prove to him how much he meant. How much I would do for him. And then I decided to join the force. But Danny, it's not the same, he doesn't treat me like an equal, he doesn't trust me to watch his back anymore. I hate it more than anything but I _have_ to stay with him because he needs me and I need him. I'm trapped, Danny, I'm trapped..." and at that Blair fell into sobs, the deep, wracking kind that signaled years of not letting oneself cry. Danny held him and rocked some more, whispering soothing words and digesting the information.

Something here didn't ring true. From what Blair's research had implied, a Sentinel's Guide was his most trusted friend. From what Daniel had been able to gather, there wasn't much that could drive them apart for long; they always seemed to find one another again. On top of that, many of the older texts had described the Sentinel-Guide relationship as a sexual one, a life-mate, someone who knew the other from the inside out.

Daniel thought hard about the situation Blair had described. It seemed Jim had started to push Blair away after he had died. He'd seen similar behavior before, at the SGC. Not on SG1 – they all knew each other too well for that – but on other teams. Lieutenant Meyers of SG4 had gotten mortally wounded on a mission, and Sam had brought her back from the brink of death with the Goa'uld healing device. On subsequent missions she had reported Major Lincoln deliberately keeping her out of combat situations. She'd thought he didn't trust her anymore, since she'd been careless enough to get injured. An analysis by Mackenzie had revealed that Lincoln had harbored feelings for his subordinate, and was keeping her out of action for his own peace of mind. Daniel couldn't help but wonder if that was the case here.

Looking down, Daniel realized Blair had cried himself to sleep in his lap. He continued to stroke the younger man's head, his eyes habitually scanning the immediate area for threats as he let his mind wander.

Lincoln had been removed from command. It was a warning Jack had taken very seriously, squashing his feelings for Sam. Daniel knew how hard that had been for him. It had been even harder for Sam, who didn't have anyone to go to. Jack did, not that anyone but SG1 needed to know that.

Daniel's nights with Jack were few and far between. It had started right after the second Abydos mission. Jack had taken him home, gotten him drunk, and learned more than he ever intended to about mating customs on Abydos.

Learning that Daniel was bisexual hadn't shocked the Colonel. Learning that Sha're had known, and even encouraged, his random trysts with men had. It was not uncommon for Abadonian men to find release with each other, as the women were expected to remain virgins until they married and completely monogamous after that. It wasn't healthy for a woman to be constantly pregnant, and there was no contraception, so men only lay with their wives in the traditional sense when they were attempting to have children. Daniel had just gotten to that point a month or two before Jack's arrival; it had taken him that long to get settled to the point where he was comfortable raising a family.

Learning that Daniel had been with Skaara had _completely_ thrown Jack for a loop. He'd done a passable imitation of a fish for several minutes after Daniel had drunkenly dropped _that_ bomb. Once he'd gotten over his initial shock, he was all curiosity, and Daniel had found himself telling Jack everything, in great detail. As he'd suspected, Jack wasn't so much homosexual or heterosexual or even bisexual as he was just _sexual_. Jack had an appreciation for beauty that went beyond gender, and there was no doubt that Skaara was beautiful. Daniel had found that speaking of Skaara that way had helped him to deal with his infestation. And Jack wanted to know _everything_.

Talk led to demonstration and the next morning he had awoken wrapped around the Colonel.

They never spoke of their relationship, not even outside the base. It was an unspoken agreement. When the going got rough, when they'd suffered a bad scare, when one or the other or someone they loved had been pulled from the edge of death, they'd give each other a look, and once out of surveillance, would find themselves in each other's arms.

Sam and Teal'c knew. They had no choice – Urgo had been curious, and with his access to their minds and his influence he'd unwittingly let them in on the secret when he'd coerced Daniel and Jack into sex in the team's private locker room. Sam accepted it with good grace, never speaking or even alluding to it. Teal'c went beyond acceptance into approval, his warrior training lending him an understanding of the unique bond Daniel and Jack shared. Daniel suspected the Jaffa had had a similar partner at least once in his past.

Daniel knew that some day, he would step aside for Sam, the day she and Jack were able to act on the obvious love they shared. Until then, he'd be there for all of them. For Teal'c when he needed someone who understood his cultural background. For Sam when she needed chocolate or booze or a shoulder to cry on. For Jack, when he needed a night vegging in front of the TV with pizza and beer or a night of wild sex. They were a family, and he knew any one of them would – and had – do the same for him.

Blair shifted in his arms, bringing Daniel back to the present. He studied the young Guide's face, which was finally relaxed in sleep, the tears dried into streaks down his cheeks.

He'd loved Blair once. Really, truly loved him, in every sense of the word. And he knew that Blair had reciprocated. The two years they had spent together had been some of the best of his life – when they were both young and full of enthusiasm for the work they were determined to do. That was before life had hit them both full in the face.

The Blair he held now was no less loved, but that love had turned another way. The dream last night had cemented it in his mind. He and Blair were packmates – physically closer than brothers, emotionally closer than lovers. They were so much alike.

But it had been too long, and they had changed too much. They could never go back to the physical relationship they had shared a decade ago. Not that Daniel wasn't willing to try, of course. Maybe a one night stand was what Blair needed?

Daniel looked up sharply, willing his eyes to focus. There had been movement outside the camp.

When his eyes got used to the darkness outside the range of the fire, he spotted it. A black jaguar. What's more, a black jaguar with blue eyes.

Jaguars did not have blue eyes.

Those haunting blue eyes studied his deliberately. Daniel focused his own on them, unwilling to back down, even as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Something _weird_ was going on here.

Suddenly he realized what was going on. Blair had said Jim's spirit guide was a jaguar, hadn't he? He knew _exactly_ what a spirit guide was...somewhere in his mind. He knew he did. In any case, he knew instinctively that this jaguar represented the consciousness of a man far away – namely, one Jim Ellison.

"Sentinel." he said quietly, knowing the animal would hear him. The jaguar lifted one side of its muzzle disdainfully, baring a single fang. Daniel smirked. If he needed any confirmation, that was it.

"Listen here, you dick." The fang slid out of view. The animal looked...confused? Hah. A silly look for a jaguar. "You have no idea what you're doing to him. You're ripping him apart. You need him, he needs you, get used to it." He gave the animal his best stern 'I-mean-it' look. "I don't want to watch him cry himself to sleep ever again."

The man in question shifted slightly. Daniel looked down for a moment, reassuring himself that his friend was still asleep. When he looked up again, the jaguar was gone. In its place, a hawk sat in a tree, regarding him coolly. He didn't have time to say a thing before the hawk took off with a cry. Daniel watched it, realizing it was circling overhead.

Feeling somehow safer, Daniel laid back on Blair's bedroll, arranging the still-sleeping man on top of him. He'd figure the rest out in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

And now we have the meeting of two worlds! Sort of.

This chapter has a couple of oblique references to various SG1 episodes, namely _Hathor_ and _Spirits_. Neither of them are explained because, after all, Blair doesn't have clearance.

I'm a little stuck for where to go after this, so the next chapter may be a while in coming. But if you review, I will move faster...I promise.

Have fun, kids. Thanks to my three (!) lovely reviewers!

* * *

Blair awoke to the smell of sausages cooking over the open flames and the sound of Daniel talking on a cell phone.

"Yeah, Jack, that would be great. Yes. Yes, I am absolutely, _positively_ sure. I need him here for this dig. Yes, I do think military backup is necessary, even if it's just you. Remember Queen Bitch? Yeah, exactly." He paused for a moment, listening. "Nah, don't bother him. He only gets to see his son, what, twice a year? The situation's not that urgent." He stopped again. "Really? Jacob's in town? Oh yeah, if he doesn't mind, that'd be fantastic. I could really use his help. So it'll be you, Sam, and Jacob? That's great." He paused, then laughed. "No no no, no other geeks necessary. Between Blair and I we've got the mythology part covered." He shot Blair a grin. "Yeah, I marked the spot with an emitter. Sam should be able to track it pretty easily. Make sure you bring those forms. Yeah. Yeah, you too. I'll see you in a few hours." He shut the phone.

Blair had decided the sausages were done and pulled them off their stakes, handing a plate to Daniel.

"Military buddy?"

"My CO. He's coming down with another member of our team and her father. Just the three of them, so it's not like this place is gonna be overrun by the military."

"I take it you got permission, then, to let me in on the big bad secret?"

Daniel took a big bite out of his sausage and chewed thoughtfully.

"Not exactly. You're gonna have to sign a non-disclosure form just for being here. Past that, you're to be told only what you need to know to work."

"I see." Blair sighed. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing."

Daniel snorted. "Just you wait. With our track record, I bet you'll end up knowing far more than you ever wanted to. The guys on base are already taking bets, I heard them talking in the background."

"Bets on what?"

"What sort of trouble I'm gonna get myself into this time."

"Ah. The geek's knack for trouble. Been on the receiving end of that one a couple times." They shared a knowing smile.

After a few moments of contented chewing, Daniel cleared his throat.

"Blair...I think Jim's spirit guide was here last night."

To Daniel's surprise, Blair nodded. "I know it was, Danny. I...I traveled the same way. To Jim. I watched him sleep for a while, as a wolf. Then he woke up, looked me straight in the eye, and asked me who was protecting me." He blushed. "Danny, what did you say to him last night? He seemed pretty pissed."

Daniel shrugged. "I basically just told him to get his head out of his ass."

Blair grinned. "Well, he threatened to come down and get me. Said there was only room for one Blessed Protector for me." His smile faded. "You don't think he would, do you? Come try to find me?"

Daniel cocked his head. "If he experienced the same thing I did, he might have a pretty good idea of where you are. He's a cop and a Sentinel, he knows what I look like, and if he thinks to do a background check he'll realize I'm working for the military. He already sounds jealous of me just for being around you. I don't know, you tell me – is he going to try?"

Blair sighed. "Maybe. Probably. Yes. I don't know." He stabbed at the remaining bits of sausage vindictively. "Where does he get off, treating me like that? I'm thirty years old, even if I am still technically a grad student. I can take care of myself."

"I know, B. I think it's just his nature to be protective, especially of you. A Sentinel-Guide thing. Instinctively, I think he knows that if something happens to you, bad things happen to him. He can't function without you – so he treats you differently than he treats anyone else."

"That's bull," Blair said sullenly. Daniel chuckled.

"It's just a thought."

"Right. So what's up for today?"

"Until Jack gets here, categorical documentation of all the carvings all over the outside. Carbon dating. Checking for a possible way in. I'd like to take a closer look at the top too, at some point."

"A possible way in? Hmm, alright. Toss ya for it."

"Nah, you go ahead. I'm gonna get the dating out of the way. Do it while you do the documentation."

"Right. Hey, D – " he said as Daniel stood up, "it's great to be working with you again."

Daniel smiled and nodded.

* * *

Blair was busily inspecting a carved relief at the base of the pyramid when a voice hailed them from the edge of their camp. He looked up to see a women and a pair of men strolling into the area.

All three were dressed casually – jeans, T-shirts, boots – but they held themselves with an upright, military posture he noticed right away. He also couldn't help but notice that all three were carrying – military sidearms at their sides or, in the woman's case, strapped to their leg. The two men were older, silvery hair cropped in close military cuts, the woman closer to Daniel's age, with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

Blair dusted off his hands and came over, looking around for Daniel. He spotted him at the top of the pyramid, obviously deeply engrossed in what he was doing. Blair sighed and went to greet the newcomers.

"Hi. You'd be the friends Daniel invited?"

"Yep, that's us. Jack O'Neill." The younger of the two men extended a hand, which Blair shook firmly. "This is Samantha Carter and her dad, Jacob." Blair noticed that they left off their ranks, which seemed fairly strange. While he shook the Carters' hands and introduced himself, Jack pulled off his sunglasses and squinted up at the pyramid.

"That Daniel up there?" he asked, looking down again. Blair nodded, suddenly unable to tear his eyes from Jack's piercing brown gaze.

"Yeah, he's looking at some carvings." _Those are hawk's eyes_, he thought, startled. _I recognize them_.

Then the weight of the man's gaze shifted away and Blair found himself sagging a bit from relief. Jack moved away from him, towards the pyramid, and called up to Daniel.

"Daniel?"

"What? Oh. Hi, Jack. Hey, send Sam up here, would you? I think I've got something for her to play with."

"Hello to you too." Jack muttered under his breath. Blair caught the slight motion of his head that gave the woman permission to scale the pyramid. So Jack was in command.

Blair smiled slightly to himself, thinking he had been spending too much time working with Jim. He was noticing things that he never used to notice, anthropologist training notwithstanding.

_I'm starting to think like a cop._ The thought shocked him much more than it should have.

"So, Mr. Sandburg, what can you tell us about this ruin?" Jacob asked.

"It's Blair. Um. Probably not as much as Daniel, but he's busy." Blair launched into a quick description of what they'd found so far, including the carvings on the top and the prayer around the bottom.

"I think the door is over here. There's a seam in the wall where there shouldn't be. And there's a plaque in Quechua I was in the middle of translating when you got here."

"Can I see it?" Jacob asked.

"Not so fast, guys. Blair, before we do anything else, you have to sign this." Jack held out a form and a pen, which Blair took.

He scanned the form before signing. It was a standard issue non-disclosure form, the sort of thing he'd had to sign when he'd joined Major Crimes as an observer. Jack seemed to relax a bit when he handed it back.

"Right. Carry on."

Jacob gave him an amused eyebrow as he turned to follow Blair to the east side of the pyramid.

"How do you know Daniel?" Jacob asked as they moved.

"He was my TA in college." Blair replied shortly, not knowing how much Daniel had told these people. "We got pretty close, and kept in touch."

Jacob nodded, obviously distracted by the plaque Blair had led them to. He frowned at it.

"You can read this language?"

"Yeah, if I'm given a couple hours with it. It takes some serious figuring. My partner speaks it fluently."

Jacob threw him an eyebrow. "Partner?"

"I've been a civilian observer at a police station for a couple years now."

"Ah. I see." Uninterested, Jacob turned back to the wall. He ran his hands over the seam in the steps. "This is where you think the door is?"

"That's my guess, yeah."

Jacob blew out a breath. "Best bet is probably to get this stuff translated. It might give us some idea of how to get in."

Suddenly the air shuddered around them. Blair looked up just in time to see a wall of golden, shifting light spring into existence around the pyramid. As quickly as it was there, it was gone.

There was silence for a moment.

"Uh. Daniel?" Jack yelled. "What was that?"

"I think we figured it out, sir." That was Sam's voice, floating down from the top of the pyramid. Jack sneered in their general direction.

"Well get _down_ here and tell me what 'it' _is_!"

"On our way, sir."

Blair and Jacob came around to meet Jack at the base of the steps as Daniel and Sam came back to ground.

"Report, Carter." Jack said. Carter threw Blair an apprehensive glance before straightening and turning to her superior.

"Daniel suspected that the go...dialect at the top of the pyramid had something to do with the place's shielding."

"Shielding?" Blair asked quietly, filing away her slip of the tongue to be analyzed later.

"Remember how we couldn't find it at first?" Daniel muttered to him. Blair nodded, not quite getting it but getting closer.

"Daniel was slightly off the mark. He thought the writings were a compass, but they were closer to a ...lock, I guess. Like one of those barrel bike locks, but with only one ring to turn."

"The platform with the symbols on it turned?" Blair asked. Daniel nodded.

"Sam figured out that the symbol for north was not pointing to polar north, but _magnetic_ north. But it wasn't even right on – it was several degrees off."

Sam picked up the thread. "We turned the platform so it was pointing exactly to magnetic north. You saw what happened."

"Yes, I did. But what did it _do_?" Jack asked. It was Jacob who answered.

"It covered the hole in the shielding. Now that it's properly aligned, no one outside the shield will be able to detect or enter the area inside."

"Dad? You run into this sort of technology before?" Sam asked quietly. Jacob nodded.

"It's a very old system. It isn't in use much anymore because, well...there isn't much to hide, not that can make use of the planet's magnetic field like this." Jacob crossed his arms and shifted his weight, thinking. "Magnetic north moves around, doesn't it? It must have shifted enough in the past couple thousand years to misalign the shield, and with no one inside to reset it, the gap kept getting bigger and bigger until – " He stopped, turned, and looked at Daniel. "Just how did you learn about this place, anyway?"

"Blair told me about it. Y'know, since it's in the middle of Incan territory. He wanted me to go with him when he went to check on the rumor he'd heard."

"Some rumor." Jack said. Sam looked suspicious.

"You mean, with just a random rumor of a Mayan pyramid in Peru, you managed to find the _exact spot_ you'd need to be in to find it?"

Daniel and Blair looked at each other. "Well..." Daniel said. "We had help."

"Help? Daniel, spit it out." Jack said, annoyed.

"You're not gonna like it."

"I don't like a lot of things. Spill."

"I _think_ that our spirit guides pointed it out." Blair jumped in, when Daniel seemed unable to put it into words. Jack pulled off his sunglasses again and regarded the two anthropologists incredulously.

"_Spirit guides?_" he asked, drawing out each word. Blair cringed a little, looking to Daniel for help.

"It's a Mesoamerican thing. You remember Tonane?"

Jack cocked his head, thinking, then nodded. "Right. Him. That was a while ago."

Jacob gave Sam a look, and she raised her eyebrows and promised to tell him later. Jack, meanwhile, looked thoughtful.

"These spirit guides of yours. I don't suppose they're wolves?" Jack asked quietly. Daniel blinked.

"Hah." Blair said triumphantly. "I thought so." Daniel had obviously put two and two together because his eyes widened.

"You're – ooooh. Ok then."

Sam and Jacob looked at the three men, utterly confused. Daniel shook his head at them, taking the opportunity to change the subject.

"It's a long story. In the meantime, what have you guys found?" he asked Blair.

"I think we've got the door, but it won't open. Give me some time with it."

"Alright. Jacob, I'd like to take you topside with me and Sam." Daniel said.

"Guess I'll keep Curly here company." Jack said. Blair fought the urge to make a face, settling for a discrete eye roll.

"Yeah, ok, Rambo. Whatever you say." He turned and headed back to the plaque, leaving a blinking Jack and three snickering people behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

Blair had almost finished translating the plaque when Jack got his attention with a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, and Jack pointed to the underbrush.

"We're being watched," he said quietly. Blair looked in the direction he was pointing.

The jaguar was there, in the bushes. It blinked at him before turning tail and disappearing into the underbrush. A moment later, Blair heard the quiet sounds of someone moving through the trees.

He heard a click behind him as Jack took the safety off his gun, and held out a hand to stay Jack's movements. He padded off towards the treeline.

"Blair – " Jack said in frustration, following. "I swear, if you get eaten – "

"Sandburg."

The man that stepped out of the trees was tall and muscular, dressed in jeans and a white sleeveless shirt that had been soiled somewhat by the jungle. He carried a law-enforcement-issued pistol with the air of one who knew how to use it.

Blair stopped and put his hands on his hips, his posture exuding annoyance.

"Jim. You can't be here."

"The hell I can't, Sandburg!" the man said, matching Blair's considerable irritation with self-righteous anger of his own.

"Whoa! Hold on just a second. How did you get in, Mister?" Jack asked. The big man gave him a look.

"I _walked_, Flyboy."

Jack looked flabbergasted. Blair groaned to himself. Jack's military ID was clipped to the bottom of his shirt. There was no way a normal human could have read it from as far away as Jim was – but Jim could, in the dark if he had to.

"Alright. What makes you think I'm Air Force – and you'd better spit it out quick because you are starting to make me _real_ twitchy."

"You're carrying a military issue sidearm, and only flyboys have that holier-than-thou attitude."

_Nice save,_ Blair thought. He was going to _kill_ Jim.

Just then Daniel, Sam and Jacob came down from the top of the pyramid and headed towards them. Jim narrowed his eyes in their direction.

"So there's your lapdog." he said softly.

Blair fought to keep the rage at his partner's words down. It would do no good to blow up in front of Jack.

Daniel broke ahead of Sam and Jacob, heading straight for Jim. He extended his hand in greeting.

"Dr. Daniel Jackson." he said quietly. Jim blinked at him, sizing him up, before slowly taking his hand.

"Detective Jim Ellison."

They stayed like that for a moment, searching each other's eyes.

"Jack, did we miss something?" Jacob asked.

"Daniel asked me to bring two non-disclosure forms. I think he knew this would happen." Jack said under his breath. What he didn't say was that he had put two and two together – this man was the jaguar from his dreams, both last night and the night before.

Jim's eyes flicked towards him, as if he had heard. He dropped Daniel's hand.

"Looks like I'm staying, Sandburg." he said, amused. Blair ignored him frostily, looking instead at Daniel.

"Could we have a moment...?" he asked. Daniel nodded and backed away, motioning for Jack, Sam and Jacob to follow. He didn't want to be anywhere near his young friend when he blew.

* * *

Blair waited until the others were well out of range before ripping into his partner.

"After everything I've done to keep the military away from you..." he hissed, Sentinel-soft but full of venom. "You go and pull some stupid shit like this. Are you insane?"

"Chief, you ran out without telling anyone where you were. How many times has that happened and you _haven't_ ended up in trouble?"

"I can take care of myself." Blair said icily. Jim sighed and tried another track.

"Look, Sandburg. If I wasn't meant to be here, would I have had those dreams the last few nights? Would the panther have led me straight to you?"

Blair pursed his lips and glared. Jim blew out a breath – this was gonna take a while.

* * *

"Daniel, who is this guy?" Jacob asked quietly. Daniel sighed, knowing Jim could probably hear them if he wanted to.

"The short answer is that he's Blair's partner."

"And the long answer?" Jack asked, giving Daniel a look. Daniel fixed his gaze on Jack's, remaining silent. After a moment, Jack groaned.

"You're not going to tell us."

"Sworn to secrecy. I don't go back on my word. But I _can_ tell you that he's not a threat. Well, not unless something tried to hurt Blair."

"Uh-huuuuh." Jacob said, giving Daniel the full force of his eyebrow. "I see."

Daniel narrowed his eyes and glared at the elder Carter. Jacob held up his hands. "I know. Not asking, not telling."

Sam just shook her head, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth, as she watched Blair and Jim across the old pavement. Blair was yelling pretty hard now, his hands waving about wildly. Jim was just standing there and taking it, patiently. Sam had a feeling that was just making Blair madder.

"College must have been an interesting time for you." she commented offhandedly. All three men looked at her, puzzled by the non-sequitor. A slow smile spread over Daniel's face.

"Yeah, sure, you betcha."

"So. You're sure about this?" Jack said. Daniel looked up and saw him waving the non-disclosure form. He nodded.

"Yeah. I don't know Jim the way I know Blair, but, well...I have a good feeling. And in any case, I doubt we could get him to stay away." Daniel fixed Jack with his gaze again. "You just have to trust me."

Jack searched his eyes for a moment, then nodded and strode over to the arguing pair.

* * *

It had taken some doing, but Blair had finally calmed down, Jim had been introduced all around, and everyone had gone back to what they were doing. Jim was currently frowning at the plaque Blair had been translating.

"To a servant of the Sisters, the way is laid bare."

Jack looked at Blair. "Ringing any bells?"

Blair worried his lower lip with his teeth. "Not really. I don't think there were any famous sisters in Mayan or Incan mythology. Or Egyptian, for that matter. Certainly Ixchel and Ixtab were not sisters."

"Maybe it's not referring to a god. Some sort of, uh, secret order? Like an ancient Mayan nunnery?"

Blair gave Jack an incredulous look.

"Yeah, right, stupid idea." Jack, not feeling like yelling any more today, leaned his head to his radio. "Carter. Get yer butts down here. We've got a puzzle for you guys to solve."

"On our way, sir."

When they arrived, Jim repeated what the plaque said. Daniel and Blair immediately launched into a discussion of mythology, trying to decide what sisters the inscription might be referring too.

Jack pulled the Carters aside. "Don't these sort of things –" he indicated the raised pictographs on the plaque "– sometimes turn?"

Jacob nodded, knowing Jack was thinking of Apophis's 'doorknob' symbol. Sam went up and ran her hands over the inscription, looking for some part of it that moved. After a moment she drew her hand back.

"Sir, there's naquadah back there." she said quietly. Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"A control panel?"

Sam nodded. "Possible."

"Here, let me." Jim rumbled from behind them. All three jumped – they hadn't realized he was there. "Chief, I could use your help."

Blair stopped mid-sentence and was instantly at the bigger man's side. He placed a gentle hand on Jim's shoulder blade, talking quietly to him. Jack and the Carters looked at Daniel with varying degrees of confusion.

Daniel paid no attention – he was much too interested in watching the Sentinel work.

"Close your eyes." Blair murmured. "Ground yourself on me and listen."

Jim, on impulse, laid his hands on the plaque.

"Humming." he said quietly. "Subsonic. It's like white noise. Only a little, but it's distracting."

Not taking his eyes off his Sentinel, Blair raised his voice slightly. "There's something giving off subsonic vibrations behind the plaque." he said. Jim winced a little – he must have had hearing turned way up.

"Whoa, there. Bring it back, big guy. Try touch." Blair moved his hand gently, rubbing his partner's shoulder.

Jim ghosted his fingers over the surface. "It moved." he said. "Like a door with a deadbolt. Just enough to tell you there's something keeping it from moving more."

He pressed his sensitive fingers down a little more, running them over each symbol and the spaces between with careful efficiency. When he reached the underside of the last symbol, he smiled a little.

"There's a little catch." He got the barely noticeable sliver of metal under his nail and flicked it. The plaque dropped loose on a pivot in its bottom-right corner, revealing an alcove with a glowing panel.

"Awesome." Jack said approvingly. "Carter, you're up."

* * *

Thanks for the reviews – I love you all! Keep it up! 


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter should have been posted ages ago...sorry guys. Enjoy.

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The Carters set to work on the panel, arguing back and forth with the sort of techno-babble none of the others had a prayer of understanding.

Daniel and Jack pulled their guns, automatically aiming them at the door as they waited. Jim raised an eyebrow.

"You expecting trouble from dead people?"

Blair, however, was staring at Daniel.

"Danny? You brought a military-issue pistol on a dig?" he asked, his voice both shocked and disappointed. Daniel looked like he didn't know what to say.

"Oh, for – Blair, the last time Danny went on a dig, he was captured by Honduran rebels, starved and tortured for three days. Wouldn't you?" Jack said, his tone biting.

Blair's blue eyes widened in shock. He knew Daniel had been getting into trouble, but...

Daniel sighed. "It's true." He pulled down his shirt collar, revealing the scar Blair had drawn attention to two nights before. "That's when I got this."

"Oh, Danny."

"And to answer your question, Ellison, yes, we are." Jack continued. "That would be one of those things that if anyone outside of this group were to ask you about, you would completely forget. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Colonel." Jim said with a smirk. Jack narrowed his eyes.

"I don't remember ever telling you my rank, _detective_."

Jim shrugged. "I did my research." He drew his own gun. "So are we expecting mummies? Zombies?"

"Worse." Daniel said. "Gods."

Jack groaned. "You had to say it, didn't you? Couldn't let the opening pass you by?"

Blair's eyes threatened to pop out of his skull.

"I didn't bring my gun." he said quietly. Daniel thought for a second, then tossed him his own pistol. He reached back and drew his zat.

Jack groaned again. Jim's eyes narrowed.

"The hell is that?"

Daniel shot him a look. "Government secret. Your tax dollars at work."

At that moment the door slid open with a mechanical whine.

Jim and Blair exchanged looks. Millennia-old temple doors did not open with a mechanical _anything_.

Jim automatically moved towards the door, his own pistol in hand, letting his sight adjust to the darkness inside.

"Whoa there, Jimbo. I'd better take point." Jack said quickly. But Daniel put a hand on his arm.

"Let him go, Jack. He can see in there." His voice was very quiet, but Jim whipped his head around and stared at him.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "And hear from there, apparently."

Jim cursed himself under his breath. He was giving himself away.

Blair was at his side immediately, the pistol held loosely but comfortably in his hand.

"It's alright, Jim," he said soothingly, whispering. "Daniel guessed. And I don't think any of them are gonna tell."

"Military, Sandburg."

"Jim, do you see the crazy space-gun Danny's got? Did you notice the glowing control panel and mechanical door? We are getting into some deep shit here, and we've got to trust each other."

He said that last part a little louder, so the rest could hear. Daniel threw Jack a look that said _see?_ and smiled at them, motioning the Sentinel on.

"Go on. See if you can find a light switch."

"In a _Mayan temple_?"

Daniel rolled his eyes expressively.

"Oh. Right." Jim took a deep breath and opened his senses, listening and looking for anything out of the ordinary. He heard a slight buzzing from the panel, and a softer hum from a spot over...there.

He took a few steps in and pressed his hand against the wall, feeling for the vibration. Right where it was strongest, his hands encountered a raised carving, a hieroglyph or something else esoteric that he didn't recognize. Remembering what Jack had asked Jacob earlier, he gave it a little twist.

Bright light flooded the room, nearly blinding him. He yelled and covered his eyes, but Blair was already right there, talking his dials down. When he could see again, he looked around.

Daniel, Jack and the Carters were stepping gingerly into the room, very deliberately not touching anything. Daniel and Blair were looking around with wide eyes.

"Oh, _wow_."

The room was octagonal. On each wall, with the exception of the wall the door was in, was an ancient Egyptian depiction of a goddess. The paintings were large and vividly colored – what the ones in Egypt must have looked like before years of sand wore at their beauty. Underneath each painting was eight lines of text in different forms, with the exception of the wall opposite the door, which had only one line of hieroglyphs and one of cuneiform.

Daniel spotted this immediately, and went to investigate.

"Isis." he said. "That's Isis. And this line says...Tiamat?"

"Her other name." Jacob said. "She was known as Tiamat before she was Isis."

Sam's eyes widened. "Daniel, you don't think this – "

Daniel wasn't listening. He moved to the wall to his right.

"Hathor." he said, his voice carrying venom. Jack gave a little huff behind him.

Daniel placed a finger on the line of cuneiform above her Heiroglyphic name. "Ishtar. The Mesopotamian goddess of love." He moved the finger down the line. "Japanese – Uzume. Celtic – Brighid. Greek – Aphrodite. Roman – Venus. Hindu – Sariswati. And..." He stopped, at a line of Quechua.

Jim came up behind him. "Ixchel."

"Of course." Blair breathed. "It's all Hathor's names. Daniel, this _definitely _proves...oh, you don't care, do you."

"Blair, I had proof I was right seven years ago. I had my reasons for not going to the public." Daniel sighed, looking around for names he recognized.

"Bastet. Niirti. Amateratsu. Kali. And...That's Nephthys. Any of her names ringing a bell, Jacob?"

The older man nodded. "Inanna. Hathor's sister."

Sam looked thoughtful. "Which explains why they were the only two mentioned on the outside of the pyramid."

"Does it? I think it might have to do with – Jacob, was Inanna a queen?"

"Yes. She was mother to Bastet and Kali. Hathor spawned Niirti and Amateratsu. Hathor and Inanna were Isis's children."

"One big, happy family of psycho bitches, huh?" Jack asked.

"Actually," Blair said, adjusting his glasses, "most of these goddesses were considered benign, even loved. Even Kali was somewhat of a just goddess – only Nirrti was really considered an evil goddess, especially if she was also called Hecate like it says here – "

Jack snorted. "Believe me, none of them were just or good. Fortunately, they're all dead." He thought for a second. "They are all dead, aren't they?"

Daniel didn't take his eyes off the writing. "Well, Hathor, Isis and Nirrti certainly are. I think Kali and Bastet were betrayed and murdered by Anubis..." Jacob nodded, confirming Daniels' thought.

"Amateratsu is...accounted for." Jacob said. Which Jack took to mean she was out there, somewhere, making trouble.

"And Inanna?" Sam asked. Jacob sighed.

"Supposedly imprisoned at the same time Hathor was."

"Possibly _here_?" Jack said in alarm.

Daniel answered in the same distracted tone he always used when he was in a ruin. "Well, considering Hathor was found in a Mayan pyramid..."

"Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA." Blair said, throwing his hands up. "I know I'm not supposed to ask questions, but CHRIST do I have a lot of them! Jacob can read cuniform? There are only like seven people in the WORLD who can read cuniform! Why are you talking about all these goddesses as if they exist? Why does Jacob know about them? _How can they be dead!_"

Jim raised an eyebrow. "Besides all that academic stuff, I would love to know how this obviously ancient Mayan temple has a mechanical door and electric lighting."

Daniel, Sam, and Jack shot each other looks. Jack gave Daniel a resigned eye-roll and a nod.

Daniel took a deep breath.

"To make a very long story extremely short: aliens exist, and thousands of years ago they lived on earth posing as gods."


End file.
